This year, we’re presenting our Artists to Watch in 2021 a little differently. Each day, we’ll uncover one sweet selection, highlighting next year’s class of up-and-coming talents and burgeoning stars one-by-one. Starting December 1, we’re counting up 25 of electronic music’s most enticing future achievers, sweetening the holiday season with a well-rounded crop of radar-worthy producers to keep an eye on. Check this space for daily updates throughout the month. From unique underground wavemakers to soon-to-be festival big shots, spanning bass music to techno with so much in between, we’re proud to present Dancing Astronaut’s first-ever Artist to Watch Advent Calendar—enjoy.
Sewerslvt
Words by Mitchell Rose
Working largely anonymously, Sewerslvt has managed to amass a substantial following thanks to her wildly unique take on drum ‘n’ bass. Melding together synthwave influences with classic breaks and edgy samples that tie the aesthetic together, Sewerslvt has managed create and maintain a sound all her own across their discography.
Sewerslvt’s 2020 album Draining Love Story is a boundary-pushing record balancing angst and energy, heavy beats and ambient backdrops. With already another EP and a 15-minute live performance posted to streaming platforms this year, Sewerslvt is undoubtedly poised to have another big year in 2021.
Featured image: @sewerslvt
Partiboi69
Words by Josh Stewart
Few if any DJs in the game are packing as much heat as the ghetto-house maverick, Partiboi69. Gripping character aside, the Australian act bespeaks one of the more talented and ambitiously creative sounds in the game, breaking from the normative side of dance music to throw down his own brand of raw and unprotected heat. His live sets and productions are known to push sonic (and social) boundaries, but the sole fact that he managed to release both a wine and a self-defense tape in the year alone make him an Artist to Watch in 2021.
Featured image: @super_goog
Artmann
Words by Mitchell Rose
Since releasing his first EP Back In The Days in March, Amsterdam native Artmann has already gone on to produce five more EPs in 2020 alone, an impressive feat for anyone, but especially someone so new to the scene. On top of his quickly amassing catalog, Artmann’s house sound is entirely his own, blending his obvious ear for a groovy beat with his robust synths that stand out from the crowd.
Artmann has additionally demonstrated that his funky style translates to the decks with ease in various livestreams. In the studio, he has a sound all his own and a tremendous work rate to boot; live, he has the skills to get any crowd grooving. These qualities considered, it’s only a matter of time until house fans will be hearing Artmann everywhere.
Featured image: @apphoto9
REAPER
Words by Jessica Mao
Launching into the bass stratosphere with his 2019 Monstercat-helmed debut EP, RAPTURE, REAPER has since ascended the ranks of electronic demolition with potent rapidity. The new drum ‘n’ bass wave representative opened 2020 with a Brownies & Lemonade-hosted world debut before unleashing a trove of sinister cuts on Bassrush, Welcome Records, and Monstercat as well as his sophomore EP, RENEGADE. Accumulating collaborations from industry heavyweights like Kayzo, WHIPPED CREAM, and Blanke, the masked enigma shows no signs of slowing down as he primes his chaos-inducing sound.
Listeners unfamiliar with REAPER’s sound should start with “BARRICADE,” the producer told Dancing Astronaut:
“‘BARRICADE’ is my favorite record because it’s a true representation of my aggressive, distorted sound intertwined with bigroom drums and melody. I feel like it’s a successful fusion of the Stadium, Neuro, and Jump Up drum ‘n’ and bass sounds that I love.”
Featured image: Evan Hammerman
TSHA
Words by Josh Stewart
After 2019 appearances at Printworks and in Bonobo’s fabric presents mix, TSHA made it clear to those following the London’s nightclub scene that 2020 was her year. What makes TSHA’s success this year so impressive, though, is her ability to reach as wide as she has far.
First, the UK-based producer graced the deep and progressive house stratosphere, appearing on Lane 8’s Brightest Lights Remixed album and asserting herself as a fresh face on Above and Beyond’s Group Therapy. But, that was only the beginning for TSHA, who progressively broke out of her shell later in 2020, cementing her own original sound with the soulful and satisfying Flowers EP released via the visionary Ninja Tune label.
Featured image: El Hardwick
Source: dancingastronaut.com
